Ah, the days of basking on the beach in the sun. Summer might feel far away for those of us in the Southern Hemisphere, but luckily for those of us in Cape Town, we’re spoilt for beach choices when we do meet the warmer seasons again.
But how do our beaches compare the rest of the world? Last year, Camps Bay Beach made a splash as one of the world’s finest beaches in a list of 25 contenders by Travel + Leisure.
This year, the spotlight seems to be on another Cape Town beach group – The Clifton beaches.
BeachAtlas, a London-based startup that collects data about beaches based on a set of criteria took to curate a list of the world’s 100 best beaches, and Clifton’s 1st 2nd 3rd and 4th made the cut.
But of course, the world is much bigger than Cape Town, and there are tons of other beaches to explore.
The top 10 beaches categorised by BeachAtlas were:
1.Bora Bora | French Polynesia
2.Source d’Argent | Seychelles
3.Whitehaven Beach | Australia
4.Navagio Beach | Zakynthos
5. Playa del Amor (Hidden Beach) | Mexico
6.El Nido | Phillippines
7. Honopu Beach | Hawaii
8.Stiniva | Vis Island
9.Railay Beach West | Koh Phi Phi
10. Starfish Beach | Panama
Creating the rest of the 100 Best Beaches list are seascape wonders from Brasil to Japan. Ready to get jet-setting? So are we. Here are the other crowned choices:
11. Praia Dona Ana | Lagos
12. Praia do Sancho | Brasil
13. Cocoa Island | Maldives
15. Awaroa | New Zealand
16. Playa Manuel Antonio | Costa Rica
17. Baga | India
18. Turquoise Bay | Australia
19. Pink Sand Beach | Barbuda
20. Agiba | Egypt
21. Diani Beach | Kenya
22. Black Sand Beach | Iceland
23. Inland Sea | Qatar
24. Playa Grande | Chile
25. Seagrass Bay | Fiji
26. Paradise Beach | Palaiokastritsa
27. Negril Beach (Seven Mile) | Jamaica
28. Flamenco Beach | Puerto Rico
29. Pileh Lagoon | Koh Phi Phi
30. Clifton Beach | South Africa
31. Vaeroy Beach | Norway
32. Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona | Colombia
33. Long Beach | Canada
34. Kite Beach | Dubai
35. Keem Bay | Ireland
36. Copacabana | Brasil
37. Zlatni Rat | Bol
38. Durdle Door | Dorset
39. Cossies Beach | Australia
40. Nusa Penida | Bali
41. Le Morne Public Beach | Le Morne
42. Mermerli | Antalya
43. Astola Beach | Pakistan
44. Playa Gran | Tossa De Mar
45. Bavaro Beach | Dominican Republic
46. Hidden Beach, Palawan | Philippines
47. Pasjača | Cavtat
48. Ein Bokek Beach | Israel
49. Tulum | Mexico
50. South Beach | Miami
51. Pink Sands Beach | The Bahamas
52. Da Nang Beach | Vietnam
53. Porto Giunco | Villasimius
54. Turtle Beach | Malaysia
55. Maya Placencia | Belize
56. Phra Nang Beach | Koh Phi Phi
57. Umluj Beach | Saudi Arabia
58. Yalong Bay | China
59. Calabar Beach | Nigeria
60. Landaa Giraavaru | Maldives
61. Gokarna | India
62. Haeundae Beach | South Korea
63. Playa de la Concha | San Sebastian
64. Varadero | Cuba
65. Hiriketiya | Sri Lanka
66. Sun Bay | Puerto Rico
67. Beach des Milliardiers | Antibes
68. Eagle Beach | Aruba
69. Koekohe Beach | New Zealand
70. Yonaha Maehama | Japan
71. Ile aux Cerfs | Trou D’Eaue Doche
72. Dolfynstrand Namibia
73. Paraíso | Cuba
74. South Water Caye | Belize
75. Seitan Limania | Chania
76. Khalaktyrsky Beach | Russia
77. Ipanema | Brasil
78. Tenby North Beach | Wales
79. Nissi | Ayia Napa
80. Lonely Beach | Cambodia
81. Playa Uva | Costa Rica
82. Caló des Moro | Cala Figuera
83. Kynance Cove | Cornwall
84. Praia de Benagil | Carvoeiro
85. Gordon Beach | Israel
86. Polihale Beach | Hawaii
87. Fakarava | French Polynesia
88. Mar Del Plata | Argentina
89. Arutas | Liguria
90. Baia dos Golfinhos | Brasil
91. Sveti Stefan |Budva
92. Beach Marinieres | Villefranche-sur-Mer
93. Red Frog Beach | Panama
94. Sopot Beach | Poland
95. Praia Marinha | Carvoeiro
96. Binz | Germany
97. Choroni|Venezuela
98. Dhërmi Vlora
99. Doctor’s Cave | Jamaica
100. Sunny Beach – Central | Bulgaria
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Picture: @zimbo_with_a_drone
